Thursday, April 16, 2015

Joplin R-8 Superintendent C. J. Huff is once again spreading the news about he declared there will be school and inspired the tornado-stricken Joplin community and the nation.

This morning, Huff, who can be hired under the Washington Speakers Bureau's "heroes' category for $8,000 plus travel fees, shared his inspiring story with the Guilford County, North Carolina Preparedness Committee in Greensboro and staff of the Guilford County School District.

Huff was able to find his way from Missouri to North Carolina, though two days ago he was unable to find his way across the Joplin High School campus prior to the dedication of the new Performing Arts Center to attend the swearing-in ceremony for newly elected R-8 Board members Jeff Koch and Jennifer Martucci.

As has been Huff's practice for more than two years, the speech was given on a work day- and this time on a work day when Joplin High School is embroiled in a scandal over photos of nude students placed on a Dropbox server.

According to reports of this morning's speech, these were among the things Huff said:

What's more important than training is hiring the right people

We are not doing a good job of taking care of our kids as a nation. We are #20 out of 21 of industrialized nations at this.

When donations start pouring don't just think about the first weeks post disaster but the long term
And, of course, he told his story of how he declared school would start on time. The rest is history.

I wonder if they, or a district nearby, need a superintendent. Or, like the rest of us, he's worried about what he will do if he loses his job so he's working all the extra jobs he can. Had his surgery while he still had insurance. Welcome to the world of R8, Dr. Huff! Say the wrong thing and you're out the door. Karma. Got to love it.

6:55He didn't work "along side" them any more than any other employee in the district. He works for them. It's ridiculous to start hypothesizing at this point. Let the Board at least get started before you start promoting or dragging down every possible candidate in the Four-State area. Everyone needs to chill out and stop stirring things up.

I saw him at the high school just before the swearing in ceremony and he was walking the other direction. Coward! But when it was time to dedicate one of his majestic buildings/departments he was right there snugly places next to Governor Nixon.

Of course he's a coward. We didn't see the big speech the next week like he promised either did we? He finally stepped off in a hole so deep he can't find a way out. We need an outside superintendent, someone without bias. No promotions from within the district, there are too many close relationships that will make it difficult for a new super to function properly.

Sachetta can handle the problems and should be in charge of this district. Hopefully Huff will get a job while he is there. Why is he still living off of our community? He needs to move on and deal with the money woes and poor academics of this district!

Sachetta, really? My child went to Sachetta about bullying they have endured at JHS. His response was kids will be kids, learn to deal with it. With this new pornography scandal, let me guess, boys will be boys?!?! Our kids deserve much better.

I went to the Auditorium grand opening and was surprised that the event was hosted or emceed by a student. She did a nice job but I had thought that maybe the Principal or Superintendent would have been our host, you know, someone of greater or equal status. A friend later told me that the same student emceed the opening teacher meeting and the JHS ribbon cutting with VP Biden and other dignitaries. Maybe I'm old fashioned and like protocol, but it just seems gimmicky and low class to me. I guess that's Dr. Huff's style.

Really? A student emcee is what upsets you? I think it's wonderful to include the students because it gives them a real world experience and reminds people of why we do what we do--not for photo ops for Huff. All of the adults had their turn to speak.

About Me

I am a former teacher in the Joplin and Diamond, Missouri, school districts. Before entering the teaching field, I spent 22 years as a reporter and editor for various Southwest Missouri newspapers. I have published three novels, Small Town News, Devil's Messenger, and No Child Left Alive, and seven non-fiction books, The Turner Report, Newspaper Days, Silver Lining in a Funnel Cloud, Greed, Corruption, and the Joplin Tornado, 5:41: Stories from the Joplin Tornado, Spirit of Hope: The Year After the Joplin Tornado, Scars from the Tornado and Let Teachers Teach.

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